Total births
11,738
Boys' name · since 1906
Denzel
11,738 babies named Denzel in U.S. Social Security records since 1906, with the highest year being 1993. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1026
- among boys today
- 11,738
- born since 1906
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Denzel is the #1026 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 11,738 recorded since 1906.
Denzel has 11,738 recorded births among boys since 1906, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1026 as of the latest data, more common than 93% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1906 to 2025.
- #1026 among boys today
- 11,738 born since 1906
- 1990s peak decade
- 93% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Denzel is currently the #1026 boys' name in America, more common than 93% of boys - 11,738 born since 1906, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1026
- among boys today
- 11,738
- born since 1906
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Denzel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1026
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 93% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
46% of everyone ever named Denzel was born in this single decade.
1993
Single peak year
864 babies were named Denzel in 1993 - its busiest year on record.
How Denzel compares
11,738 Top 8% higher than 92% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Denzel's all-time total is 32x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Denzel | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 11,738 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 864 | 23 | 22,252 |
Denzel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Denzel splits its recorded history at 1963: 92% of all births land in the more recent half, 8% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1909 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1993 peak of 864 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Denzel at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1993
Current rank
#1,026
Active since
1906
Denzel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1906–2025
- Peak year (1993)
- 864
- Annual births at peak, across 120 years of records
Denzel popularity over time - girls
41 total births recorded since 1914 (Denzel as girls' name)
Denzel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Denzel's strongest decade.
5,453 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Denzel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 11
1900s
11 births
- 1910s 155
1910s
155 births
- 1920s 265
1920s
265 births
- 1930s 202
1930s
202 births
- 1940s 154
1940s
154 births
- 1950s 123
1950s
123 births
- 1960s 68
1960s
68 births
- 1970s 26
1970s
26 births
- 1980s 248
1980s
248 births
- 1990s
1990s
5,453 births
- 2000s 2,121
2000s
2,121 births
- 2010s 1,826
2010s
1,826 births
- 2020s 1,086
2020s
1,086 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 5,453 births (46% of all-time use).
How Denzel compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Denzel's total volume
Denzel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Denzel by state
Where Denzel concentrates geographically, total births since 1906
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,198 | 10.2% |
| #2 | California | | 853 | 7.3% |
| #3 | Texas | | 831 | 7.1% |
| #4 | Florida | | 738 | 6.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 695 | 5.9% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 420 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 403 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 372 | 3.2% |
New York share of Denzel's total US births 10.2%
Even split
1,198 of 11,738 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.
Denzel appears in 36 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Denzel? ▼
Denzel has been given to 11,738 babies in the U.S. since 1906, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #1026 as of the latest data. 864 babies were born in 1993, its single highest year.
When was Denzel most popular? ▼
Denzel was most popular in the 1990s decade with 5,453 total births. The single peak year was 1993.
Where is Denzel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Denzel are New York (1,198 births), California (853 births), Texas (831 births).
How long has the name Denzel been used? ▼
Records for Denzel go back to 1906, giving 120 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Denzel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Dennis, Denis, Denver, Denny, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Denzel's data
- Denzel's decade-level peak was the 1990s (5,453 total births); usage has since declined to 1,086 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Denzels (1,198 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Denzel
Nearby Names Like Denzel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Denzel
Dennis Boy
#708 621,000 births
Denis Boy
#1641 20,733 births
Denver Boy
#488 19,178 births
Denny Boy
#4326 15,417 births
Denton Boy
#3988 5,143 births
Compare Denzel side by side: Denzel vs Dennis Denzel vs Denis Denzel vs Denver
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Denzel
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1906–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Denzel: #1026 Boys' Name - 11,738 Births, Peak 1993." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/denzel. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Denzel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.